Are you a hero or a saint?

[James, Group Founder]

Author and Undergrounder Tony Sunderland has designed a quiz that can suggest whether a person follows the path of the hero or the way of the saint. Check it out:

CLASSIFYING SAINTS AND HEROS
Renowned author and teacher, Francis Ambrosio uses the metaphors of hero and saint as the primary platform that Western society has used to create meaning in the lives of people. For Ambrosio, a person will either follow the ‘path of the hero’ or the ‘way of the saint’. However, it could also be argued that most people in the course of their life’s experience usually adopt a blended and fluid way of progressing through their life’s journey. Therefore at different stages it would be probable that an individual would be part saint and part hero. Ambrosio himself concludes that the metaphor of what he terms ‘the secular saint’ as the only human construction of meaning that can withstand the ‘terror of existence’ facing humanity in the 21st Century. The secular saint takes responsibility for both his/her life and also the lives of others. Central to this concept of total responsibility is the premise of complete freedom. The secular saint is free to choose between the tensions of meaning and absurdity by honestly experiencing the world as a potential (and real) place of justice and beauty. However, there may be other constructions that blend the tensions between the saint and hero that could also provide flexible scaffolds upon which a meaningful life can be experienced.

By adopting Ambrosio’s pioneering work, I have attempted to construct a template from which an individual may find their own personal adaptation of the hero/saint. Obviously no construction will be a ‘perfect fit’ for any individual, but it at least represent an attempt to gain clarity on ‘where we stand’ as individuals from the great historical ‘Western tradition’ that the metaphors of hero and saint provide us. Hopefully we can then form a personal bridge between our past, present and future.

Here are ten questions you can answer to see which path/way you choose to take in life's journey....


10 Questions we can ask ourselves
1. Do you believe in a divine force or entity that permeates the Universe?
2. Do you believe that this divine being/entity is indifferent to the affairs (lives) of humanity?
3. Is it noble to actively struggle against all of the life’s misgivings to be the best person you can be?
4. Is it important for you to be an active participant in your community (or society)?
5. Do you believe it is noble to ‘surrender yourself’ to God’s will?
6. Do you have a personal relationship with your God?
7. Do you believe that ‘human existence’ is ultimately an absurd proposition?
8. Do you think that the material world in which we live is essentially ‘good’ and beneficial to humanity?
9. Do you believe that it is each individual’s responsibility alone to create personal meaning in their lives?
10. Is it very important to you to have close relationships with others?

[Tony]

For example lets say someone answers; N,Y,Y,N,N,NY,N,Y,N.

This could give the following construction....

The Absurd Hero


The absurd hero is possibly the bravest metaphor of the heroic condition. They are willing to confront the premise that the Universe is devoid of any type of divine presence and embrace the possibility that all human existence is pointless to the extent that it is absurd. Meaning for the absurd hero is gained from recognition of this absurdity and through taking personal responsibility in the creation of ‘individual identity’. The creation of a meaningful purposeful ‘individual identity’ is achieved through a personal struggle that rejects ‘the other’ (including any notion of God) and accepts the lonely reality of human consciousness.
Influences/examples
Existential philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone De Beauvoir. Also earlier (often controversial works by Kierkegaard and Nietzsche).
A modern example would also be the character Will Kane in the movie High Noon .